Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-07-26

ne Best on the Dig retaii sVores Inc streele
are not short and the business part Of the city
large These prices are not only asked, but
realized, and the real estate sales Of the past
six months have increased nearly $35 100000
over the sales of the first six months Of last
year, when the town was thought to be
booming. The official records Of deeds show
that since Jan. the sales made have ranged
from 81 600 to $3,5oo,0O0 a week, and the
total sales up to June ~ amounted TO $6S,-
569, SS7. Last year they were vi ,oIo,5f2 1or
the same period. The rate OF increase OF
transfers has been l2o per cent.
When real estate agents get from 2 to 5 par
cent on sales Is 1t any wonder that Kansas
City has 2,ooo OF them!
+T+
The land on which all chicago stands was
once offered for a pair OF boots, ana the
tradition Is That the man dld not take the
offer because he had not the boots A horse
was traded fifty years ago for the land known
here as the junction upon which now stands
buildings worth hundreds OF thousands OF
dollars, and ten years ago farmer plowed
hls lOO acre farm or corn where now stands
some OF the finest residences OF this city. He
would then nave been glad 10 nave sold out
at $2OO per acre Independence avenue,
street loo feet wide, now runs through 1t, and
cable car carries the nabobs Of the new city
to their elegant residences which stand upon
this former cornfield. The land is now
worth along this street from 5000 to $3.50
foot, and the modern houses which make up
lts fashionable quarter Will compare with
those OF Massachusetts, avenue in Washing
ton and will range from $12, 900 to 500, 900
in value. The houses have wide lawns about
them. They sit upon three foot terrace and
pesssId PsH 's4ooIq u! eInI So 9I!nq 4ou Gro
brick with stone trimmings Is the favorite
material, though in several cases fine stone
houses have been erected. These lots are
fifty or more feet front, and the value of a
building lot is hence about $4,000 or more.
The biggest over valuation of property, how
ever, is in that lying out in the country.
That within the limits of the city will, l
think, probably increase, and the buildings
going up in the best streets of the business
parts Of the city guarantee the permanence
Of values -.
The streets Of Delaware, Main and Ninth
are made Of large stone and brick buildings,
some Of which are as high as eight and nine
stories, and many of which would be an
ornament to New York. A large number of
buildings, costing from q half million to a
million dollars each, are now in process of
construction, and there are fourteen build
ngs now going up which aggregate a cost of
$780, 600. .+*
All of the big Insurance companies of the
country seem to be erecting buildings here,
and the New York Life Insurance company,
which proposes to put up a million dollar
building, is having a curious trouble in get
ting site. 1t has bought nearly a whole
square, with the exception of little piece
ABOUT 60 feet front and 100 feet deep. This is
owned by woman who will not sell l am
told she has been offered 81 900 and 81 500
Foot, but she says she don't want to sell and
won't. The company have about decided 10
build all around her, and If she persists the
will put upa ten story building on the re, t
Building is, I Judge, expensive in Kans
City. The ground is SO broken that much
it is made ground, and a great depth has {,
he made for the foundations. Still building
is going on all over the city, and more than
c10,0 900 worth Of buildings were erect
ed, last year. The past four months Of
March. April, May and June have AVERAGED
over one million dollars each. and since
Jan. five buildings have been comnleted
costing a total of 100000.
-.
Kansas City will never be a very nrettv
CITY. It is too much broken and II is TOO
much up and down hill. 1t looks ragged and
ugly, and its best parts will always ho
blotched. With so much building it can
hardly be healthful, though its citizens clai m
the contrary and prove it by statistics Its
business, however, is shown by the crowds Of
men on the streets and by the rush with
which every one goes this way and that
Nearly every business man has a carriage If
the long lines of one horse burpies which, ono
sees on each side of Main, Delaware and Ninth
streets during the day are any evidence of il
There are more buggies and one horse rios
used here than any place 1 have ever seen
Two thousand of them NAV belong To the re,I
estate agents, who use them to show the
uburban property.
m**
Where does all the money come from.
Well, in this Kansas City is again like Chi
cago. 1t gets the great part of its money
from the east, and there are big insurance
companies, mortgage companies and loan and
investment companies, who occupy six and
eight story buildings, whose business it is to
deal in Kansas City loans for eastern capital
lists. One Of these men told me that Charles
Francis Adams, Of Boston, had 6, 900, 900 in
hot DO strahge II, upon investigation,
Is Iouho 'hao new YORK, Philadelphia
anu DOSCOn Will IN the future